Echoes of Silence
by Kari Motamiya
Summary: Xros Wars sequel. When friends begin to become enemies and things are not as they seem, will there be anyone to pick up the broken pieces off the floor? Watch the Young Hunters find a power that only exists within them and fight the darkness that threatens to swallow them whole.


_Hello everyone! I'm finally posting a Xros Wars story and this is dedicated to my Xros Wars friend,_ _ **ShinyBlackWolf**_ _and I hope you like it even if it doesn't have your favourite pairings. I'm a bit nervous posting a new fic after all this time but yeah, I really hope everyone likes it._

* * *

 **Chapter One:**

Seven years had passed since the defeat of Quartzmon and the Hunters group had moved on with their lives. They still kept in touch as much as they could, but having different career paths it became rather difficult.

Taiki had begun studying education and whilst he loved his major a lot, there was too much work at times. He honestly needed a vacation from all of this study. He was currently sitting in his hostel room, in an armchair Akari had bought him for his birthday, and was in the middle of completing a project when his cell phone rang.

"Hello?" Taiki answered, holding the phone to his ear whilst he continued working.

"Hi, Taiki-san!" Tagiru's cheerful voice resonated from the other end. "What's up?"

"Tagiru," Taiki's semi-tired voice instantly sounding a bit happier. "It's been awhile, hasn't it? I'm glad you called." And it was true. He was always glad to hear from his friends.

"Yeah, it has!" Tagiru agreed. "That's why I'm trying to get everyone together for my birthday party. Well, not everyone! Just our group mostly, close friends, not the random Hunters though. Kiichi can't come with his job as a world tourist but Yuu's already coming. It's like two weeks from now. Can you manage?"

Taiki checked his schedule. "Oh, it's on the 15th? That actually does suit me, since my exams and assignments finish the day before. I'll definitely be able to make it. Is it at your house?"

"No, we booked a hall," Tagiru said. "Or rather Nene-san and Yuu booked it. Being well-known does have its advantages after all. I'll text you the address, okay?"

Taiki smiled. "Okay, thanks for the invite, Tagiru."

"Ne, Taiki-san, don't be so formal!" Taiki could almost see Tagiru pouting on the other end and he couldn't help but grin.

"Sorry," Taiki said with a grin. "Tagiru, you haven't called in a while. How are your games going?"

"They're great! They get a bit tiring though and my chest gets really tight sometimes but they're fine," Tagiru said. "I'm so much better at playing now. You and Yuu will be surprised at how good I am at strategizing now."

Taiki laughed. "I'm not too surprised, considering I've seen how you can get when you set your mind on something. I haven't forgotten...going down to the Brave Snatcher if it didn't come to you. Only you'd think something like that." He was a little concerned about Tagiru's chest becoming tight but the phone was no such place to discuss these matters. He'd ask Tagiru about it when they meet.

A sheepish laugh was heard from the other end. "Yeah, you're right. I'm really looking forward to seeing you at the party!"

"I am too," Taiki admitted. "It's been lonely without you guys. I mean, I try to keep in touch with everyone but we're not school kids anymore and you know how Kiriha is."

"Yeah. Speaking of which, I have no idea how to get a hold of him so I'm leaving that to you and Nene-san," Tagiru said. "You two are the closest to him after all."

"Yeah, right," Taiki said tiredly. "I'll do my best to get him to come. He's not exactly a party person."

Tagiru laughed. "Yeah, I could tell. But try, okay? I want all of us to be there. We haven't seen each other in forever!"

"Yeah, of course," Taiki said agreeably. "I'll see you then, okay?"

"Yeah. Nice talkin' to you again. See you."

They both hung up and Taiki sighed as he leaned against the armchair he was sitting on, feeling a bit more at ease. Everything always seemed easier, even if temporarily, once he heard from his friends in any shape or form. The two weeks seemed like forever though and he realized he couldn't wait to see the others again.

He hadn't even really kept in touch with his childhood friend Akari who was the closest to him. The two had been together since they were little kids and he was glad that she was still by his side.

* * *

The two weeks seemed to pass at a snail's pace but the day was finally here. Taiki got ready and checked the address, before heading inside the hall. A few people were already here; he spotted Tagiru, Nene, and Yuu standing in the center and chatting casually with one another.

The hall was just simply stunning. Tall marble podiums supported the light brown ceiling, which had bright crystal chandeliers hanging from their designated places. The tables were arranged neatly, each seating six people, and had pure white tablecloth draped over the top. Beautiful, vivid flowers were placed skillfully in small vases and seemed to exemplify the beauty the large hall had.

Taiki ran a hand through his hair as he looked around towards his friends, taking in each of their appearances in turn.

Taiki's breath caught in his throat when he saw Nene. She was beautiful. Well, she had always been beautiful but seeing her now almost took his breath away. Her hair, her eyes, her warm smile, everything was perfect. No, he couldn't think of Nene like this. For starters, Yuu might kill him for drooling over his sister no matter how much Yuu liked him or how close friends the two of them were.

"Taiki-san!" Tagiru's overly cheerful voice snapped Taiki out of these thoughts and his junior tackled him into a hug, nearly knocking him over, and he almost dropped the birthday present he had bought. "I missed you!"

Taiki laughed and wrapped his arms around the other. "I missed you, too. It's great to see you again, Tagiru."

"I know, right?" Tagiru said happily. "It's been way too long."

"Tagiru..." Yuu muttered, sounding exasperated. "Honestly, you still act like a little kid."

Tagiru pulled away from Taiki and pouted at Yuu. "What's wrong with that? I'm fun to be around!"

Yuu rolled his eyes. "When you're not tripping over your own feet."

Taiki laughed. "You two never change."

Tagiru raised an eyebrow. "Would you like it if we act all cute and cuddly?"

Nene giggled. "That'd be scarier than them bickering, neh, Taiki-kun?" She winked at him.

Taiki laughed, fighting back a blush. "Y-yeah, that's right. It would be weird."

"What'd be weird?" another voice said, and the group looked up to see Akari and Zenjirou coming forward, hand in hand.

Nene didn't seem to be the only one who had changed clearly. If it weren't for him talking to Akari on Skype occasionally, Taiki would have never recognized her there with her hand in Zenjirou's. Zenjirou, on the other hand, hadn't changed that much at all other than growing taller.

"Tagiru and Yuu not fighting and being cute and cuddly," Taiki said to Akari and Zenjirou.

Akari giggled. "That's an amusing thought."

Zenjirou laughed. "That'd be like Akari-kun and I getting along from the first moment we met."

Taiki glanced at them. "Speaking of that, you two seem close. Akari, you didn't mention this on Skype."

Akari blushed a little. "I wanted to mention to you in person that Zenjirou asked me out like a month ago. That and we wanted to surprise everyone with it."

Nene reached over, hugging Akari. "Congratulations, Akari-kun. I'm happy for you."

Yuu smiled. "I had a feeling there was something between you two. You two seemed pretty close during the Quartzmon battle."

Tagiru grinned. "I was awesome in that battle! Anyway, congratulations you two."

Taiki clapped Zenjirou on the back and wrapped an arm around Akari, squeezing her shoulder. "I'm really happy for you two."

He still remembered Akari telling him that she had moved on from him. It had hurt him at first but he had moved on as well, knowing Zenjirou and Akari had gotten close during the time he had been in the digital world with Kiriha and Nene.

Zenjirou smiled. "I'm really happy, too! Akari's amazing!"

Akari blushed deeper at the comment. The others laughed.

Soon after, other guests started piling in and, once everyone arrived, the food was served. People had placed the birthday presents in a pile at the entrance.

"Here," Yuu said, handing Tagiru a plate.

"Thanks," Tagiru said, grinning. "Hey, guys." He waved at Hideaki and Mizuki who both came over.

"Happy birthday," Mizuki said gently.

"Looking good there, Tagiru," Hideaki said with a wink, wrapping an arm around him in a suggestive manner.

Mizuki rolled her eyes and tugged Hideaki's ear. "Idiot, don't creep him out."

Hideaki pouted. "You ruin my fun, Mizuki." He grinned at Tagiru. "Hey, wanna catch up? _Alone_?" He gave Mizuki a pointed look.

The latter's eyebrow twitched as she placed a stiff on the other redheads' shoulder. "Hideaki, why don't _we_ have a little alone time?"

Hideaki looked aghast and grabbed Tagiru's hand. "Save me, Tagiru! She's going to kill me! Come on, be the knight in shining armor for me, huh?"

Tagiru blinked, almost innocently. "Knight in shining what?"

"You be the knight and I be the princess – well, prince in this case – so you can sweep me off my feet and carry me away into the sunset!"

The zeal Hideaki exhibited was overwhelming, but it only confused Tagiru and annoyed Yuu even more.

Mizuki sighed exasperatedly and snatched Hideaki's hand. She started to drag him away with a huff. "Come on, puppy."

"Hey, hey, hey! I wanted to talk more. Tagiru, I think I really need that knight! Tagiru!"

They disappeared in the bustling crowd and left Tagiru and Yuu alone.

Tagiru blinked again. "Uh, okay." He turned to Yuu. "Do you have any idea what that was about?"

Yuu bristled a little and pulled Tagiru back gently. "I don't think I want to know. Why don't we find a place to sit, Tagiru?"

Tagiru stared at Yuu. "Are you okay there, Yuu?"

Yuu smiled though it was slightly strained. "I'm fine. We just haven't spent time in awhile so I wanted to catch up on old times. Come on." He tugged Tagiru's hand.

Tagiru followed his best friend, befuddled at his odd behavior.

"Well, that went well, Hideaki," Mizuki said, rolling her eyes. "You'll push Tagiru-kun away if you act like this. Gosh, do I need to teach you everything?"

Hideaki huffed. "I was doing fine till you and Yuu interrupted."

"That's only because Tagiru-kun is naive and didn't really get what you were suggesting," Mizuki countered. "Taiki-kun always said he was a bit too slow to understand cheesy pick-up lines."

"My pick-up lines are not cheesy!" Hideaki retorted, and Mizuki twisted his ear again.

"Look, Hideaki, if you used those pick-up lines on me, I'd slap you," Mizuki said bluntly. "They were cheesy. If you want to date Tagiru or even have a chance with him, you need to take it slow and listen to my advice. Taiki-san and Yuu-kun are very protective over Tagiru so you might want to watch out for that." She hummed. "I really don't want to see you with a bloody nose."

What Mizuki didn't mention was that, in the end, Hideaki might not get a chance with Tagiru. She had seen earlier at how Yuu had looked at Tagiru, even if Hideaki or Tagiru himself hadn't noticed. She wasn't going to say anything about that until she knew for sure though. No need to begin chaos for nothing.

Hideaki was about to retort again when a crash was heard outside of the hall they were in. A dark wispy fog surrounded the room and the wind blew heavily while splatters of rain could be heard from outside.

Mizuki noticed Hideaki shiver and frowned. "Hideaki..."

Hideaki wasn't listening. A cold feeling of dread overwhelmed him. He could hear Mizuki looking to the others for help, but he guessed help didn't come because a voice spoke in his head.

"Hideaki-sama," an almost child-like voice hissed in his ear. "She lies to you. Going slow is never the answer. She's jealous. Jealous of your feelings for Tagiru-sama. I understand. I understand how you feel. I want to save you from the pain I once felt. The pain of rejection will engulf you. You don't need to face that, do you?"

Hideaki tried to fight. No, Mizuki was his friend. They had gone swimming together, she wouldn't lie to him; she was just trying to help him with the person he loved. The person that meant everything to him. Tagiru had been his first friend other than Dobermon. The person to reach out a hand when no one else had. The person to believe that he wasn't being dishonest with money even when Hideaki hadn't believed it himself.

"You know Yuu-sama, Hideaki-sama?" the voice hissed again. "He's evil. He held an object called a Darkness Loader once. He's using Tagiru as well. He claims it to be something called love but it's nothing compared to your love, is it? Lust is the truest form of love. No love exists without lust. Accept my offer, Hideaki, and Tagiru will be yours."

"Hideaki!" Something struck Hideaki's face. He blinked and saw the others staring at him in concern. It took a moment for him to realize that Mizuki had slapped him.

"Hideaki, are you okay?" Tagiru asked, stepping forward.

Hideaki looked at Tagiru and took in his appearance. His innocence, his warmth, his fire, his liveliness, everything about him was perfect. Not to mention, he was insufferably cute, his eyes and every part of him. His eyes drifted to Yuu who was standing besides Tagiru. Besides him... The two were always together, more often than Hideaki was with Tagiru.

"I accept your offer," Hideaki said without thinking a third time.

A cackle filled the room and the dark gust of wind flew at Hideaki, entrapping him completely. A small part of him wondered if he had done the right thing but as the darkness inside him grew stronger, his mind grew blissfully blank, the only thing at the core focus being his lust. His eyes glowed red.

"I'm fine, Tagiru," Hideaki said, a small smirk dancing on his features, the warmth in his eyes gone as he stepped forward towards the object of his affections. He laughed a little when he saw Yuu tense and moved in front of Tagiru, Taiki moving to do the same soon after. Mizuki was right... They were overprotective. But nothing would stop him now. Not even her.


End file.
